Jess!
by Damaia
Summary: (Complete!) This is a full-blown sequel to the movie, starting shortly thereafter. THIS IS A NON-SLASH, NON-MARY SUE STORY. Yes, it is a JackOC, but she is every bit as cool as he is. Please R and R.
1. Meetings

"Captain, we've sighted the Black Pearl!"  
  
"Whereabouts, Tom?"  
  
"Dead ahead, captain, a mile off as the raven flies." The helmsman grinned, showing his blackened teeth, and sang out, "Lively now! Black Pearl sighted! All hands aloft! Every stitch of canvas we've got better be catchin' the breeze, or I'll have y' guts fer ratlines. Move, ye dogs!"  
  
The captain shook her mass of wavy dark hair back, but it fell into her eyes again, so she bound it back with a scarlet scarf and a muttered oath. Her jet black eyes glittered maliciously as she sprang over the railing of the upper deck down onto the main one, ignoring the stairs in her excitement. She scrambled up the mainmast, leaving the rhythmically swaying deck far below as she climbed to the highest point on the ship, the crow's nest, her distinctive garb- white shirt (too large), black breeches (too tight) scarlet and blue sash (too bright), and beat up knee-high boots (just right) - a splash of jewel-bright color against the white of the Bluefang's sails. Her trip was delayed for a moment as the hilts of the twin sabers strapped to her back caught on a line, but she quickly freed herself and moved on. Reaching the crow's nest, she seized the spyglass tucked into her sash and gazed intently at the Pearl, which was growing steadily larger in her vision as they drew near.  
  
The Jolly Roger snapped in the breeze, grinning at her as she gazed at the cursed ship. The sails were black, of course, a tribute to her black-hearted captain, perhaps. She could see the crew, working nearly as quickly and efficiently as her own, scrambling to prepare their vessel for confrontation. No question about it she thought grimly. The Pearl is faster than us, by a good margin. Still, I've four more long nines than Barbossa. A pretty even match, then.  
  
They were drawing near now, near enough that the captain replaced her spyglass in her sash, pulled out her pistol, grabbed a rope, and swung gracefully down to the deck. The crew were ready at the cannons. She nodded, and drew her right-hand saber. Pointing it at the Pearl, she bellowed, "Fire!" just as the Pearl's guns opened up, and the impacts of multiple hits reverberated through the Bluefang's deck.  
  
The Bluefang's cannonballs slammed home, and then a voice, male and agonized, called across the water from the Pearl. "STOP BLOWING HOLES IN MY SHIP!"  
  
The captain stared. She knew that voice! Barbossa didn't sound like that! Why, that sounded like- "Cease fire!" she bellowed.  
  
She leaned out precariously, filled her lungs, and roared at the black-sailed ship, "PARLEY! I- INVOKE- THE- RIGHT- OF- PARLEY!"  
  
There was a moment of silence, then "VERY WELL! PULL ALONGSIDE US AN' YOU'LL HAVE YOUR PARLEY, WHOEVER YOU ARE!"  
  
Tom glanced at her questioningly, and she nodded curtly. This she reflected wryly is a gamble. If that wasn't who I think it was, I'm dead and am about to find it out.  
  
She stuffed her pistol back into her sash as they drew alongside the Pearl. The Pearl's crew stood waiting, grim-faced, armed to the teeth, some seemingly including teeth. She searched their faces, looking for the one who shouted, but saw no one she recognized. She seized a line and swung boldly onto the Pearl's deck as her crew lashed the two ships together. She hand signaled them to stay aboard the Bluefang.  
  
She lifted her chin imperiously, and called, "Where be your Captain? I desire to speak with hi-"  
  
Several things happened very fast. Someone thudded to the deck behind her, and wrapped an arm around her, pinning her arms to her sides. That someone also had a knife to her throat. In the same instant, the Pearls crew raised their rifles, concealed behind them 'til now, and aimed them across the gap between ships at her crew.  
  
She froze as a voice very close to her ear said, "Who might you be, love? Blowing holes in me ship, now. That isn't very nice. I don't"- he flicked the blade casually against her throat, causing a droplet of blood to run down her skin- "appreciate that much." He traced a line down her neck with a finger, following the track of the blood. "Now, be a good girl, answer everything I ask you, and maybe I'll let you live, savvy?"  
  
She nodded fractionally in agreement.  
  
"Now tell me," the voice continued, in tones of casual interest, "what ship just fired on the Pearl?"  
  
"The Bluefang."  
  
"Really," said the voice. "And who am I addressing now?"  
  
"Her Captain," said the woman flatly, and, tiring of the charade, she reached up and shoved the blade away from her throat, "Saberjess. Hello, Birdie."  
  
Strong hands seized her shoulders and spun her around so fast that she fell against none other than Captain Jack Sparrow. "Jess!" he cried. "How are you? Captain of your own ship!" Then his expression darkened, and he held her at arm's length, his grip on her shoulders painfully tight. "Why did you fire on the Pearl if you knew it was me?"  
  
"I didn't know it was you," Jess replied, rubbing the cut on her throat. "I've been after Barbossa for months now. I hope you got him with your single shot?"  
  
Jack gave her a smile that was all teeth and in no way pleasant. "I did indeed. Cornered him on the Isla de Muerta. Killed him all by me onesy- shot him right in the heart, savvy?" He thumped a hand off his own chest to demonstrate.  
  
Jess nodded, satisfied, then her expression grew contemplative, and she asked, "Did he, ah, say anything as he died?"  
  
Jack's expression grew closed, his dark eyes wary. "Why might ye be askin' me that, now?"  
  
Jess folded her arms across her chest. "Tell your crew to lower their weapons and I'll tell ye."  
  
Jack smacked his forehead in comic dismay, and flapped a hand impatiently at his crew, who lowered their rifles and stood watching, their curiosity plain to see. Jess half-bowed her thanks, and said, "It's just that I warned him, warned him what happens to men who die a traitor's death."  
  
Jack's expression cleared somewhat, and he said, "Aye... He said he felt cold. Dunno if that means anything to ye."  
  
Jess turned a wicked grin loose on him, and replied, "It means much, nay, everything to me." Jack continued to look vaguely puzzled, so Jess elaborated, "The deepest circle of Hell is icy cold, Jack. Barbossa and his crew will freeze for all eternity; the fate of traitors and mutineers."  
  
Jack shivered, and quickly changed the subject. "If yer interested, we can leave the ships lashed together for th' night. My crew 'n yours might like to have a bit of fun, savvy? Besides," he added, flashing her what he seemed to think was an irresistible grin, "We have some catching up to do, and I have a business opportunity for you."  
  
"Very well, Birdie, we'll do that."  
  
Jack scowled, and muttered under his breath, "That's Captain Birdie to you, wench." 


	2. Jess's Tale

Jess leaned out over the railing of the Pearl, watching the sun drown itself in the sea, casting its last rays of red and gold over the water. Down on the main deck, the party was in full swing as the crews of the Pearl and the Bluefang traded trinkets, fought, drank, sang, diced, and generally made a racket as only good pirates can. She heard Jack Sparrow's distinctive footsteps coming up the steps behind her, but she did not move. His walk these days was something of a nonlinear, off-beat stroll at the best of times, now it was a nonlinear, off-beat stagger. "Been into the rum, Birdie?" she called over her shoulder.  
  
The footsteps stopped. "Jus' a bit. An' I wish ye'd stop callin' me that, savvy?"  
  
She snorted. "Anytime you care to make me, I'd be glad to."  
  
He stumbled against the railing beside her and gazed unsteadily out to sea. "What be you lookin' at, Jess?"  
  
She gestured expansively. "Freedom, Jack. Freedom and joy and sorrow and adventure, and all the things that make life worth living."  
  
Jack nodded, adding his own list, "Aye, and fat merchant ships, stretches of undefended coast, and even the occasional woman who hasn't been warned about me."  
  
"That must be getting hard. People have even been warning me, though most of them seem to think I'm your sister, which thankfully I am not. Remember when we used to sail together, though? Inseparable and undefeatable!" She smiled reminiscently. "But then... well, I don't remember what we argued about, but when you left Tortuga, I stayed behind. How I wish, now, that I had gone with you on the Pearl. You became her captain before the week was out, I heard."  
  
Jack raised his eyebrows. "It seems t' me ye've done alright fer yourself, love. What's to regret?"  
  
She deliberately turned her head to look him directly in the eye. "Signing on, after a string of dead end jobs over the course of a few years, with Captain Barbossa, once first mate, then captain of the Black Pearl."  
  
Jack looked as though something heavy had just hit him full in the face. "You... but... He sailed with a full crew, and they couldn't die because of the curse. Why hire you on?"  
  
"They had the full crew, aye, with nearly a whole brain between them." She rolled her eyes. "No, Barbossa hired me to help him hunt for the missing gold pieces. I was to be a kind of undercover agent, a scout, and a spy. Someone," she added, smiling crookedly, "who wouldn't go all bony and rot in the moonlight, and who furthermore wouldn't be bothered if everyone around her did. So I signed on, and sailed out of Tortuga aboard the Pearl, but... things were quite different from what I'd been told."  
  
Jack blinked. "You must have hated me, then. Surely they told you what they had done to me. You knew about the single shot when we met this morning."  
  
She shrugged. "That was one of the surprises I had aboard ship. When he hired me, Barbossa said he was under your orders. He fooled me because the bartender had told me you'd been in and out of Tortuga a bit during the previous few months. By the same token, that also told me they were lying when they told me you were dead, murdered by Barbossa. You had been in Tortuga, but not with the Pearl, that was all. At least, that's what I told myself to keep from going mad. "  
  
All trace of drunkenness had long ago vanished from Jack's demeanor. He narrowed his eyes. "What did he really want you for, then?"  
  
Her shoulders hunched fractionally. "Partly for what he said, an agent who wouldn't be given away by moonlight, but also..." She shivered convulsively. "Also for his own reasons."  
  
Jack's eyes widened, then narrowed, and his hands clenched into fists. "I hope you gave him hell for his presumption."  
  
She nodded shakily. "I managed to steal a rusty old saber fairly early on, and from then on, well... He'd come, but I'd always fight him to a standstill with that rusty old blade, over and over 'til he was too exhausted to make another move. He never had the advantage with me, as he did with all his other opponents. Fear, you see. Fear of what is hideous, that cannot be killed. I was never afraid, and he wasn't good enough to beat me at even odds."  
  
Jack nodded slowly, and his fists unclenched. "It must have been terrible for you, love. How long were you aboard ship?"  
  
Jess shuddered. "Nearly six miserable months, during which I helped recover five medallions out of the final six. At last, my contract was ended, and I fled. I hired on with the aging captain of the Bluefang as first mate, and became captain when he died. I've been chasing the Pearl ever since, and now here I am."  
  
"Here you are," he echoed. Carefully, he slid an arm around her shoulders. She was still shaking slightly, but offered no resistance. "C'mon to my cabin, love. I'll make ye a cup of tea, an' ye can hear my half o' the story."  
  
She stared at him. "A cup of TEA? You?!"  
  
He held out his forearm for inspection, rolling back his sleeve. "Jess love, I properly earned my East India brand, savvy?"  
  
She was still laughing as she followed him down the stairs. 


	3. A Business Proposition

The candle, the sole source of light in Jack's quarters, flickered as Jess sipped her tea, listening with great interest to Jack's tale. It seemed they had had quite a time. Her eyes were alight with vengeance as he told of the final battle at Isla de Muerta, and of Barbossa's downfall. He also told her about their return to Port Royal, and his trial, conviction, and eventual escape. She was most surprised that Norrington had let him go after the theft of the Interceptor. He also told her about Bootstrap Turner's only son, and his prominent role in the adventure, and about his lady love, Elizabeth Swann.  
  
"Which," he said, pausing for breath and a gulp of his rapidly cooling tea, "Brings me to my business proposition for you. There's a rather nasty character called Liam Connolley, captain of the Bane, who I have heard is going to try to recover Cortez's gold. Ordinarily, that wouldn't worry me much because he wouldn't be able to find the island, but rumor has it he was hired by Barbossa a few months back to hit British shipping in the Caribbean, with the location of the island as his price."  
  
Jess snorted contemptuously. "And little things like eternal damnation don't bother him, then? Surely he's heard about the curse."  
  
"That's what worries me," said Jack heavily. "It's the curse he wants, not the gold. He figures with the curse, he'll be invincible, because once under its influence you can't die. And of course," he added, studying the ring he wore, "If I'm doing anything involving the curse, I can't very well leave my dear friend Will and his lady-love out of the action, now can I?" His dark eyes watched her from behind a curtain of black hair. A faint smile played around his lips.  
  
"And that's why you want me," she said confidently. "You want me to go to Port Royal and get the Turner lad for you- you can't go yourself because of Norrington. Then we all sail off to the Isla de Muerta, hopefully beating the Bane and arriving first, and are lying in wait to blast the heck out of them when they arrive, right?"  
  
His smile widened. "That's my girl. So will you do it? There's still a lot of treasure on Isla de Muerta, and it's yours if you'll help me."  
  
She gave a low, sweeping bow. "My ship and crew are yours, Jack Sparrow."  
  
"Aye," he said slowly, "But what about the captain. Is she mine as well?"  
  
Jess raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"  
  
He stepped toward her, mischief on his face, and kissed her full on the lips. "Savvy?"  
  
She reached over and extinguished the candle.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Jess awoke some time later, her arms around Jack, her head on his shoulder. Her right hand was under his back, and she had a serious case of pins-and-needles, which was what woke her. She carefully moved it out from under him, trying not to wake him. As she did so, she noticed something that made her laugh softly in the darkness. Despite her caution, Jack must have woken up, because he asked softly, "What're ye laughing about, love?"  
  
"You lied," she replied, still chuckling quietly.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"The sea turtles. You never roped any sea turtles! There's not a single hair on your back!"  
  
"Ah," said Jack, with an air of superiority, "Well, there wouldn't be anymore, would there?"  
  
Unfortunately for Jack, it was so dark that he never saw the pillow coming, and he took a direct hit right in the face. 


	4. Not in the Job Description

Two days later, the Bluefang sailed majestically into the harbor at Port Royal. Jess tossed an ironic salute to the skeletons on display at the mouth of the harbor. The crew dropped the anchor over the side, and Jess took a rowboat ashore, the Bluefang having much too deep a keel to sail all the way in to the docks as some of the smaller ships could. There were several smaller merchantish-looking vessels at the docks, one of which piqued her interest. It was a flat-bottomed coastal raider with faded red sails. The prow bore the legend 'Reef Shark' in gold letters.  
  
Jess paid her docking fee and bribe with no complaint, then filched the man's whole purse as soon as his back was turned. The small black boy who was helping him giggled and tugged her sleeve. "I seen another man who always did that," he told her. "Say 'ello to Mista Sparrow for me, please."  
  
Jess pulled a tarnished silver coin out of the purse and held it up. "This is for you, lad, if you can tell me where to find a man called William Turner."  
  
The boy took the coin. "In the blacksmith's shop, Mistress. He be the bestest blacksmith in town, is Mista Turner."  
  
Jess thanked him and went on her way, finding the blacksmith's shop with little difficulty. She could hear a hammer and the roar of flames, so she banged loudly on the door. A huge crash echoed from inside, and the hammering stopped. Not waiting for an invitation, Jess yanked the door open and charged inside, fearing she had caused some kind of accident. She got a moment's confused impression of the dimly lit room before something heavy hit her on the side of her skull. She screeched and hit the floor, hard. She was dimly aware of someone holding the tip of a very sharp sword to her throat. A youthful voice (likely the owner of the sword) demanded, "Who are you? Why are you here?"  
  
Jess groaned, still on the floor, holding her head in both hands. "I'm Captain Saberjess of the Bluefang, hired by Jack Sparrow to bring you to Isla de Muerta by way of the Black Pearl, assuming you're William Turner, but getting hit in the head was NOT in the job description."  
  
"Will? Will, what's happened?" A woman had entered the room by way of the still-open door. She was (from what Jess could tell, cross-eyed, lying on the floor) extremely pretty. Jess knew she must be Elizabeth, Will's... girlfriend? Wife? She saw Jess sprawled on the floor with Will holding a sword to her throat and, instead of screeching and carrying on as Jess would have expected, she seized a sword from a nearby rack and advanced, keeping the tip between herself and Jess. "A friend of yours?" she asked Will, her voice fairly dripping with sarcasm. She eyed Jess coldly, as one might regard a cockroach before squashing it.  
  
"Not to my knowledge," he replied dryly. "But she claims Jack sent her."  
  
"Aye, that she does!" Jess spat, her head pounding. "And she can speak for herself, thank you!"  
  
"Sit up!" Will snarled, backing up a pace. "And keep your hands where I can see them! Now, tell us the truth- who sent you?"  
  
Jess didn't answer. She had had quite enough, between being brained with what she now saw was a forge hammer, and Will's suspicion and rudeness. She shook her head to cover the tensing of her muscles, then lunged at Elizabeth, kicking the sword out of her hand and flinging the woman away from her.  
  
Will's gaze became cold as ice as he growled, "That's the last mistake you'll ever make, pirate."  
  
"That may be, but would you at least listen to what I'm trying to tell you before you kill me? Here, you can have this. God knows I don't want to kill you." She handed him the sword. "Happy now? Then listen." She told them about Liam Connolley, and the Bane, and Jack's plan, adding, "Jack thought you might like to join him aboard the Pearl. He figured you might have somewhat of a, ah, personal interest in coming events."  
  
Will nodded slowly. "He's right... We'll go with you... if you can pass a little test. Tell me, besides his sparrow tattoo, what other distinguishing mark does Jack have on his arm?"  
  
Jess grinned. "He has the East India 'P' brand, for pirate!"  
  
"Just checking. One can never be too careful"  
  
"Lovely. Now, just for the sake of curiosity, why the devil did you hit me over the head when I came in earlier?"  
  
Will sighed. "Ever since people heard about my adventures-"  
  
"And misadventures-" Elizabeth interjected.  
  
"-on Isla de Muerta," Will continued, smiling briefly at Elizabeth, "A lot more people have been interested in owning one of the swords I make. I guess the thought is that it'll be a better blade if the craftsman can use it as well as make it."  
  
"What has that to do with bashing me over the head?" Jess asked.  
  
Elizabeth took up the thread of the story, idly twirling her rapier in lazy circles. "Some people seem to think that stealing is the best way to go about acquiring one of Will's swords. And anyone who makes an entrance like yours, just charging in without announcing themselves, well..." She trailed off significantly.  
  
"I see," said Jess. "Well, if you're coming with me we may as well leave now. I'll meet you on the docks in about ten minutes, alright? Unless of course," she added slyly, "You'd like to introduce me to the good Commodore before we leave? After all that Jack's told me, I'm sure our meeting would be... interesting."  
  
"I rather think not," Elizabeth said delicately.  
  
Jess grinned lopsidedly, looking, for a moment, very much like Jack. "Well then. Ten minutes, alright? We haven't got all day after all."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Fifteen minutes later they were rowing out to the Bluefang. The crew had lined up on the deck to inspect the new arrivals. Thankfully, Jess thought they were up to scratch, herself. Elizabeth was wearing breeches and one of Will's shirts. She carried a long rapier with an air of one who knew what to do with it (Will had been teaching her). Will carried a heavy saber he had made himself, and a pair of pistols.  
  
Jess sprang lightly onto the deck of the Fang, filled her lungs, and bellowed, "What be ye doin' a-standin' about gawping like greenies when there's work to be done?! Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails! Tom, show Will and the lady their quarters- you know the drill. Oh, and hearken to me now, ye scum of the sea, cuz I'll only warn ye once. If I hear any of ye have so much as looked at Elizabeth in a way she finds offensive, ye'll have me to answer to, if Will doesn't get ye first!"  
The crew's laughter rang out from high above the deck. They knew better than to try anything when Jess was within a ten mile radius.  
  
The wind caught the sails, and the Bluefang leapt forward, racing for open water and her rendezvous with the Pearl. No one noticed the small ship with red sails that slipped out of port behind them, and vanished. 


	5. Wreck and Ruin

Whiteness. That was all Jess could see as she clambered down the mast. Just a thick, damp, heavy blanket of white. She coughed, and gasped out a stream of colorful invective as the fog filled her lungs. The Pearl and the Fang had made excellent time, so Jess had been most optimistic about beating the Bane to Isla de Muerta. Then they had hit the passage of wrecked ships, and this fog. The sky was grey, the sea was grey, and going was perilous, to say the least. Sometimes the fog would thin enough that Jess could make out the dark outline of the Pearl ahead of them, picking its cautious way through the forest of wrecks, both above the water and, more dangerous still, just beneath the surface. The air was close, and all sound from the living crew was muffled. But there was still plenty to listen to.  
  
The wrecks all around groaned and creaked like lost souls. Sometimes there would come an echoing crack! as the bow of the Pearl struck one of the rotting black ruins, snapping boards and sending the pieces down into the blackness. The whole place gave Jess the creeps, quite frankly. A low moan filled the air as they passed the waterlogged skeleton of what had once been a fast corsair vessel. Jess shuddered, but nonetheless strode to the railing to watch as they sailed by. A second person joined her, stepping out of the fog so silently that she jumped a foot in the air. "Will! Don't do that lad, you scared me out of a year's life! How's Elizabeth?"  
  
"Still rather ill, I'm afraid," said Will, shaking his head. "She still has about two degrees of fever, but Tom says he reckons she'll be alright in a day or two." His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. "I remember this place. Jack told me-"  
  
CRASH!!!!!  
  
There came a horrible, rending, smashing noise from below decks, and all at once the Fang became a hive of activity. Tom sprinted towards her. He was soaked from head to foot, and began yelling as soon as he was within earshot. "Captain, we've struck something underwater! There's a massive hole in the hull below-decks, and we're taking on more water than we can handle! The impact made a lantern smash, and the lower decks are on fire! We'll have to abandon ship!"  
  
Jess went quite pale. "If the fire reaches the powder magazine... Get everyone into the jollyboats, head for the Pearl, and tell Jack to get clear of the Fang, it's going to explode!"  
  
Will grabbed her arm, desperation in his eyes. "Elizabeth! Elizabeth is below decks!"  
  
"Come on, then, boy!" She raced down the steps and through a long corridor which was filling rapidly with smoke from the ceiling down, and with water from the floorboards up. Jess could hear the crackle of flames. She coughed, gasped, then coughed again, leaning against the wall for support. Will charged past her into Elizabeth's room, but leapt back as a wall of flames reached fiery hands toward him. "No!" he cried, and lunged into the room. Jess staggered after him, and a moment later he emerged, Elizabeth in his arms. They sprinted back out onto the main deck. Three of the Fang's jollyboats were already in the water, rowing as fast as they could towards the Pearl, which had come about.  
  
The fourth boat, half full, was still alongside the Fang, so she swung her legs over the railing of the ship and dropped onto it. "Will!" she screeched above the roar of flames, which had emerged onto the main deck and had engulfed much of the rigging and the mast, "Lower Elizabeth down and get yourself out of there!"  
  
She caught Elizabeth as Will lowered her to them, wincing as the girl's dead weight nearly pulled her over backward. She had just turned back to see Will, still on the main deck, trying to free himself from an entangling rope when the Fang exploded. The fire had reached the powder magazine at last. The force of the explosion blew their small boat end over end towards the Pearl. Jess and four others were in the water. One of the others was her first mate, Tom, who was still supporting the unconscious Elizabeth as he tread water near the overturned jollyboat. The other two were working on flipping the boat over, but Jess had more immediate concerns. She saw Jack Sparrow dive from the upper deck of the Pearl into the water and swim toward her. To his obvious surprise and consternation, she began to swim for the wreck of the Fang, away from him.  
  
"What- are- you- doing?!" he yelled over the roar of the flames.  
  
"Jack! Will was still aboard when it blew! We have to find him, NOW!" Jess shouted, and Jack swore filthily, but did not argue. Jess took a deep breath of smoke-filled air, then dove beneath the surface.  
  
It was eerily bright underwater, lit from above by the glow of the burning wreck. There! The force of the explosion had ripped the Fang in two, and the front half was near. She could see a section of hull and deck railing, attached to the main bulk of the ship by a tangle of ropes and tattered sails, black with scorch marks. Also tangled in the rope was Will Turner. He was well under the surface of the water, and wasn't moving. Jess tried not to think what that meant. Lungs burning, she surfaced for a breath, pulled a knife from her boot, and dove again. She hacked and slashed at the ropes that held Will, finally working him free. She wrapped an arm around him and swam for the surface. It was hard work hauling the boy's dead weight through the water, and she found herself wondering dimly where Jack had got to. Breaking the surface, she managed somehow to keep Will's head above water, and struck out for the Pearl.  
  
That was when she saw them. Sharks. Five of them. And Jack Sparrow, holding them off with a pair of knives, grinning as he slashed and stabbed at jaws, eyes, and silver bodies. "Jack!" she cried, sure they would kill him.  
  
"I'll befine, love! Just get Will to the Pearl for me, alright?" He turned his attention to the nearest shark, and read it an impressive recitation of its parentage that didn't once mention aquatic animals of any kind as he opened long cuts in its hide. The other sharks, scenting the blood of their wounded compatriot in the water, immediately forgot all about Jack, who swam away from them and headed for the Pearl. Those aboard ship watched in morbid fascination as the sharks tore each other apart.  
As it turned out, Jess, still carrying Will, and Jack, swimming unburdened, reached the Pearl at nearly the same time. Together they got Will up onto the deck. He was very pale, and didn't seem to be breathing. Jack thumped him, hard, right below his rib cage. Will gave a small cough, rolled over, and threw up a large quantity of water. Someone had apparently managed to revive Elizabeth while Jess had been in the water, because she screeched "WILL!" and dashed forward, dropping to her knees at Will's side, and throwing her arms around him, sending him into another bout of coughing as she knocked the wind out of him. The crews of both ships shook their heads and wandered off to watch as the wreck of the Fang slid lower in the water, still aflame.  
  
Ignoring Elizabeth, who was now kissing every bit of Will she could reach, Jess strode to the railing and gazed across the water to where the Fang was dying its fiery death. Jack came to stand with her, still dripping wet.  
  
"I'm sorry, love," he said softly. "I know what that ship meant to you."  
  
She turned to stare coldly at him. "Do you, Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl? Do you really?"  
  
He nodded, his kohl-lined eyes fixed on hers.  
  
She dropped her gaze, and her voice shook slightly as she asked, "Oh Jack, what am I going to do now?" 


	6. A Little Honesty

"I don't know, love," he said, uncharacteristically subdued. He tried to put an arm around her, but she shoved him away. Her eyes were over-bright. "Leave me alone, Jack! I don't want to talk to anyone just now!"  
  
He held up his hands, defensive, palms out, and said carefully, "Well now, seeing as all of us are likely to be up on deck for a while, if that's your goal your best bet would be the forward cargo hold, down below. I'll just, ah, make sure everyone stays away, all right?"  
  
She nodded and fled.  
  
Jack sauntered over to the top of the stairs, listening for sounds from below. Distantly, he heard a crash and an oath so blistering he half- expected to see smoke curling into the air. He winced.  
  
As Jess entered the hold, the full enormity of what had happened washed over her like the cold waters of the sea. The Bluefang was gone, her ship, her command, her LIFE was gone. Her freedom was gone. Jess fell to her knees, sobbing unrestrainedly, then leapt to her feet, snarling, and lashed out at a bulkhead with one hand, then the other. She screamed her anguish and frustration at the world, then fell to the floor, but was on her feet again in a moment, pacing. It shouldn't have happened! If she had been more careful, she'd still have the Fang... She cried out again, and began beating her fists against the unyielding wood once more, tears running down her face.  
  
Up on deck, Jack strolled over to where Will and Elizabeth still sat on the deck, arms around each other. Jack stood over them for a moment, undecided, then reached down and tapped Will gingerly on the shoulder. "Listen mate, you can kiss her later. Right now, I need your help. Yes, now!" He seized a handful of Will's shirt and hauled him to his feet. "Now listen. Jess is down in the forward hold, and from what I can hear, she's in rather a bad way, but she doesn't want me near her just now. I want you to go down and talk to her for me." The expression on Will's face stated clearer than words what he thought of this idea, but Jack clasped his hands and said, "Please? She did save your life, you know, so she'd be unlikely to kill you now." Will nodded unhappily and headed for the forward hold. Jack gave him a jaunty salute as he descended the stairs, which he did not return.  
  
Jess looked up when she heard footsteps outside the hold. She had been beating the wall for the past ten minutes or so, and had just given up and sunk to the floor, her hands torn and bloody, her back against the abused boards. Will stepped tentatively into the room, looking decidedly nervous. Evidently he'd heard her. At that point, Jess really could care less. In fact, his presence was downright annoying.  
  
"If Jack sent you to see if the coast was clear, I'll kill him," she announced before Will could say anything. It was difficult to tell in the uncertain light of the lantern that swung overhead, but she thought she saw him blush.  
  
"He did... sort of," said Will, looking somewhat bewildered. "He said you didn't want to see him, but he was worried about you, so he sent me to check, because he seems to think there was a good reason why you saved my life so you probably won't kill me now."  
  
Jess nodded mechanically. "That's true, there is. It's called getting paid. Jack offered a good price for me to go to Port Royal and collect you, so I did. I expect he might have been a bit irritated with me if I had let his friend die, and I want my money. Simple as that."  
  
Will's lip curled. "I don't believe you. There's more to it than that, and don't insult my intelligence by denying it."  
  
For a moment, Jess's temper flared. How dare this man, this BOY, argue with her after what happened? Then she sighed, and the anger drained from her body. He dared because it concerned him, and she owed him an honest answer. She shrugged, and met his eyes for the first time since he had come to see her. "It's kind of stupid, actually," she said, prepared, against her instincts, to be completely honest. "It's... well, I like you. You remind me of Jack when he was your age, a bit. Although," she added, looking contemplative, "You're not half as strange as he was and is. You have a young woman who you love very much, who loves you more than life itself. My crew all like you, although you seem to be something of a standing joke with the Pearl's crew. Even Ana Maria approves of you, and she NEVER likes greenies. I guess I just didn't want to lose you."  
  
He grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Thanks, Jess." He seemed to think it was safe to be within striking distance now, because he strode over and crouched down next to her, and began to carefully examine her battered hands. "You did a fair bit of damage here. I'll, uh, have Jack look at them when he has a moment," he said, trying and failing to sound innocent. "Why don't you, ah, go wait in his cabin, alright?"  
  
Jess snorted in a most unladylike fashion. "Subtlety has never been your strong point, has it Will?"  
  
He seemed to be embarrassed past words, and beat a hasty retreat, calling for Jack.  
  
Getting to her feet without using her hands was a bit of a tricky operation, but Jess managed after a moment's effort. Holding her injured hands, which were beginning to swell, against her torso, she walked (carefully) to Jack's cabin and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait for him.  
  
He swept in after she had been waiting no more than five minutes, and inquired teasingly, "What seems to be the trouble, then, love? Broken bones? Slit wrists or throat? Gunshot to the head, perhaps?"  
  
Jess couldn't help but laugh a little as she held up her battered hands. "Nothing so exciting, I'm afraid."  
  
Jack rummaged around in a trunk for a moment, and then emerged with some passably clean bandages and some kind of foul-smelling ointment in a small jar, which he applied liberally to her torn knuckles. His large, calloused hands were surprisingly gentle as he wrapped hers in bandages. "Jack?" she said timidly as he worked.  
  
"Yes, love?"  
  
"I'm sorry I shouted at you. What happened wasn't your fault. I'm sorry."  
  
"Quite alright," he said cheerfully. "I'd probably have done worse had I been in your position. There," he added, tying a final knot in the bandage on her right hand. "Good as new." She flexed her fingers experimentally. Her situation was somewhat better than she expected. Her dexterity was only somewhat impeded by the bandages, and she noted with some surprise that she could probably still fight or shoot without much of a problem. She raised a hand to her nose and sniffed, wincing at the sharp, unpleasant smell, but whatever was in that ointment surely did work, because she felt no pain in either hand.  
  
"Thank you, Jack," she said somewhat shyly.  
  
"You're more than welcome, love." He put away the small bottle and the remaining bandages, then sat next to her on the bed, gazing at her with the utmost gravity and seriousness. "Now, do you think you could suffer through a bit of company until we reach Isla de Muerta? I would guess we're only a few hours away as the Pearl sails, after all."  
  
Jess carefully tucked away a smile as she replied, with equal gravity, "Very well, Captain Sparrow. After all, what's a few hours?"  
  
Jack winked. "What you make of them, love. What you make of them." 


	7. An End to Negotiations

The Pearl sailed into the bay at Isla de Muerta some three hours later as dusk fell. The trip ashore was as uneventful as any of them could have wished as the crews of the Pearl and the Fang rowed down the long, dark passageways leading to the hidden docks deep inside the island. Jack, Will, Elizabeth, Jess, Tom, and Gibbs rode in the lead boat, Jess holding a lantern aloft on a pole. The only sound was the splash of oars and the steady drip-drip-drip of water on the walls and ceiling, and an occasional muffled curse as oars snagged on hidden obstacles. Jack, Elizabeth, and Will seemed quite unimpressed with their surroundings, but the crews and Jess gazed about interestedly, commenting in low voices as they passed several skeletons, most of whom had obviously died suddenly and violently. Jess grinned wolfishly as they passed one with a sword still sticking out of its back. Such was the fate that awaited Connolley and his men.  
  
Jack caught her grin and winked, clearly following her train of thought. At last, they leapt out into shallow water and dragged the boats up onto shore. Several of the crew carried bundles of torches which they lit and handed out. Jess carried the lantern and walked next to Jack at the head of the group.  
  
The corridors twisted and turned, forcing them to march single file in some places, but Jack never hesitated. At last they reached a series of rooms with high ceilings. Moonlight filtered down from above to make patches of white on the floor, and everywhere was the glint of gold. The crews of both ships fanned out, picking through the piles of treasure, and calling out to one another as they found one thing or another. All save four. Jack, Jess, Will, and Elizabeth climbed the largest pile to stand before a stone chest filled with coins. Will took another step forward and gazed dispassionately down at the gold. Hundreds of stylized skulls stared blankly back up at him, stamped into each piece.  
  
"I had hoped never to see this place again," he said ruefully. He smiled crookedly and pointed to one of the coins, which was attached to a thin gold chain, "That one was mine. Amazing, that something so small could cause so much trouble." Absently, he opened and closed his hand, the one with the scar on the palm.  
  
Elizabeth gave a small squeak of fright, and pressed herself against Will, pointing in horror at something down on the floor off to their left, half hidden in the shadows. Jess yanked out one of her sabers and sprang nimbly off the pile of treasure to land a short distance away from the whatever-it-was. Not to be outdone, Jack performed a full front flip in midair before landing next to Jess. "Oh," he said softly, venomously, when he saw what it was. "Is that all?"  
  
It was Barbossa, or rather, what was left of Barbossa. All that was left were bones, and the tattered remains of clothing and the hat he was so fond of wearing. Jess sheathed her sword, stepped boldly forward, and spat on him. She then gave the carcass a solid kick, rolling it into a deep pool of water, where it sank out of sight. "T-thank you," said Elizabeth shakily.  
Jess nodded curtly, and turned to Jack. "So, we've beaten the Bane here, now what?"  
  
"We wait," said Jack shortly. "When Connolley arrives, we'll already be in place here. I'll go out and speak to him, and try and get him to leave peaceably. I know it's probably not going to work," he added, catching the look on Jess's face, "But I have to try. If and when he refuses, I plan to let him get ashore and into the cave system before we make our move."  
  
Will stared at him, and demanded, "What's to stop him from just bombarding us from the Bane? These caves are unstable, and he could kill us all without any risk to his men by making the caves collapse!"  
  
Jack smiled roguishly, and waved a hand at the stone chest. "He won't as long as these are here. He wouldn't dare fire a single shot at the island and risk burying these forever in tons of rubble. His only option is to bring his men ashore and fight on our terms."  
  
And so they waited. The sentries rotated every hour, which became the high point in the action in fairly short order. Jess kept herself busy by force of will alone, doing things like sharpening the knife in her boot and scrubbing tiny flecks of dirt and rust from her saber blades, neither of which really needed the attention. Compared to the others, however, she was holding up rather well, being bored but still glacially calm.  
  
Will and Elizabeth were both decidedly tense and said very little.  
  
Jack was, if anything, even twitchier than usual. He had also begun to pace back and forth, to Jess's great annoyance. She was just about to say something about it when the latest sentry sprinted in ten minutes early, soaking wet and yelling for Jack. "They're here! Connolley and the Bane! Orders, Captain?"  
  
Jack had to yell to make himself heard above the chatter of the crews. "I'm goin' out to talk to him, savvy? Everyone is to stay here until I get back! That means you, too!" he added, turning to Jess.  
  
Jess crossed her arms. "No way are you going alone. Parley or no parley, Code or no Code, I don't trust Connolley any farther than I can throw him uphill against the wind. Besides," she continued, warming to her topic, "I'm not technically under your command at all, and neither is my crew, which means I don't have to take your orders, so listen up and listen well, Sparrow. I'm coming with you to negotiate on behalf of my crew, and that's that!"  
  
To her great surprise, Jack smiled broadly, flashing gold teeth, and nodded his approval. "Thanks, love. I was just testin' you. Well, shall we? It's rude to keep Connolley waiting."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Jack rowed their small boat out into the bay as Jess stood waving the lantern. When they were within earshot of the Bane, Jess bellowed, "PARLEY! WE INVOKE THE RIGHT OF PARLEY IN THE NAME OF THE CODE OF THE BRETHREN!"  
  
A deep voice answered her from the deck of the Bane, though it was too dark to see the speaker. "COME ABOARD THEN, IF YE HAVE THE COURAGE!"  
  
Jess glanced over her shoulder at Jack, and said in a would-be calm voice, "They were expectin' us. They knew perfectly well we were here."  
  
Jack shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me. They can't have been that far behind us, since it's only been, what, six or so hours since we arrived?"  
  
Jess muttered something unintelligible but rude-sounding, but quickly shut up as they drew alongside the Bane. Someone up above threw them a line to secure their boat, then a rope ladder unfurled over the side. Jack scrambled up without further invitation, Jess following close behind.  
  
The whole crew was assembled on deck. All of them, Jess noticed with a touch of unease, seemed to be rather large and strongly built as well as well armed. The tallest of the lot stood alone in a ring of torchlight, and Jess knew at once that this must be Liam Connolley. Jess estimated his height at somewhere between six foot three and six foot five, with broad shoulders. He carried two sabers as Jess did, strapped to his back. He carried no other weapons that she could see. His face would have been handsome had it not been twisted in a derisive sneer as he regarded Jack.  
  
"So," he said softly. "The great Jack Sparrow wishes to parley with me? Can it be that you have run out of tricks at last?"  
  
"Excellent," said Jack in a falsely bright voice. "So you already know who I am, but I don't think you've been properly introduced to the lady. This is-"  
  
Connolley interrupted Jack coldly, saying, "I care not who she is. I will not conduct any negotiations in her presence, however. I make it a rule not to associate with," He paused, and his cold, colorless eyes slid over Jess, "With a shameless whore who's no better than she ought to be."  
  
Jack's own voice cooled a few degrees as he finished, "This is Captain Saberjess, formerly of the Bluefang, here to negotiate on behalf of her crew."  
  
Jess inclined her head graciously to Connolley, a Captain acknowledging an equal. She kept a firm rein on her temper.  
  
"Ah," said Connolley quietly. "Yes... yes, I see now. It was your ship that got wrecked in the passage. A pity... I had hoped the wreckage I saw was the Pearl, but no matter. I would rather take the fastest ship in the Caribbean intact, given my choice." He deliberately turned his back on Jess, and faced Jack instead. "I assume you came here to surrender. I will accept no terms, unconditional surrender only. Your ship and any cargo will become mine, and-"  
  
"Actually," Jack cut in smoothly, "We're here to offer you the chance to surrender, and leave peaceably. We're well aware of what you're here for, and we intend to prevent you from getting it, savvy? Now, we can do this my way, and you can keep your ship and your life, or we can do this the hard way, and both will be forfeit. It's really up to you."  
  
Connolley stared at him for a moment, then began to laugh. It was a cold, mirthless sound, and Jess shivered almost imperceptibly. "Get out of my sight," he snapped after a moment, recovering his composure. "I have had enough of this. In fact," he whipped out a saber and whirled to face Jess, "I think you can swim back. Right now. Gents," he addressed his crew. "Help these two off my ship, would you?" He smirked and stepped back as the crew seized them both and quite literally threw them off the ship.  
  
Jess and Jack hit the water at nearly the same instant. Jess surfaced, gasping. Jack appeared a moment later, shaking his tangled hair out of his eyes. Jess watched him, treading water, and said conversationally, "That went well, didn't it?"  
  
Jack made no comment, but merely began swimming for the island. Jess followed suit. Once they got into the cave system they were able to walk most of the way back, though they now had to be careful of such things as underwater rocks as they slogged along through the shallows. Jess was actually nearly dry from the knees up by the time they reached the crews, who immediately bombarded them with questions. Jack waved his hands for silence, and called out, "I'm afraid our negotiations failed. Connolley and his men will be here shortly, and even with a double crew on our side they can nearly match us for numbers."  
  
Ana Maria stepped forward and asked, "But do ye have a plan, Jack?"  
  
"Ah, well..."  
  
Jess shoved him aside, and called, "Tom! Where be Tom?"  
  
"'Ere, Cap'n!" Tom replied at once, waving from the back of the crowd.  
  
She looked Tom directly in the eyes, and said something very odd, phrased as a question. "WWJD?"  
  
Tom smiled his black-toothed smile, and answered in kind, saying "SS." Then he paused, and amended, "SVS."  
  
"Thank you. That's all I needed to hear."  
  
Jack looked as baffled as anyone else as Jess turned to him, smiling broadly. "I'm afraid you've lost me, love. Care to explain... in English?" he pleaded.  
  
"It's really very simple." Jess began to pace back and forth, her hands clasped behind her back. "Whenever I'm in a really tight situation, and I can see no way out, I always ask myself- WWJD? That's 'What Would Jack Do?', you see. And the answer is always the same. 'SS- SVS'." Her smile widened evilly, and she answered herself. "Something Stupid. Something Very Stupid."  
  
Jack managed to look inquisitive while still rendered speechless by this revelation.  
  
"Something stupid," echoed Will. "Something like this, for example?" And he reached into the stone chest, withdrew the medallion and chain, and fastened it around his neck.  
  
Jess beamed at him. "Exactly like." She reached her own hand into the chest, and withdrew a gold piece. She rolled it idly back and forth over the backs of her fingers, then suddenly made it vanish. Jack stepped forward, gave a world-weary sigh that needed no elaboration, and selected one for himself. Then Elizabeth took one, and then Tom, and one by one the members of both crews all came forward to take a gold piece from the chest.  
  
"How do we know the curse still works?" Elizabeth asked, holding her medallion up before her eyes and examining it.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes, pulled out his pistol, and shot Jess in the face from less than a foot away. The force of the shot lifted her off her feet and threw her backwards- into a patch of moonlight. She hit the stone floor with a loud clatter of bones. Still lying on her back, she raised her hand and examined it. The bones, no longer covered by her flesh, clicked as she wiggled her fingers. Jack strode into the moonlight, transforming instantly, and gallantly offered her a hand up. "Sorry about that, love."  
  
"Think nothing of it," she said amiably. "This is certainly an interesting experience."  
  
Jack turned to the rest of their little band, and gave them their orders. "Divide into twos and threes, and each group take a passageway. Set up whatever surprises you like, but make sure there are no survivors, savvy?"  
  
Jess watched interestedly as they left. Oddly enough, perhaps the most frightening pair were Will and Elizabeth. It was chilling to see their youthful good looks change instantly to death and decay.  
  
As she and Jack headed off to their own section to patrol, Jack glanced over at her and said cheerily, "Your eyes have gone yellow. Did you know?" 


	8. Not Alone

Jack and Jess followed Will and Elizabeth for a time, until they came to a cross-corridor. Jess bid them happy hunting, and she and Jack took the left-hand passageway while the others took the right. Jess unsheathed her sabers, and paused for a moment to tear the bandages off her hands. They had been tight on her flesh, but now hung loose and cumbersome on her bones. "Where does this passage come out?"  
  
Jack considered for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration, then he replied, "Unless I'm very much mistaken, this one is a direct route from where we left the boats to the room where the chest is. I figured we'd better guard this one ourselves."  
  
Jess held up a hand for quiet. "Listen!" she hissed. The faint sounds of startled cries, gunshots, and the clash of metal on metal drifted down the passageway. "They're here." All at once there was silence, and then fainter and farther away, the sound of a victory cry.  
  
"Not anymore," said Jack, satisfaction evident in his voice.  
  
"We've got company coming," she muttered, and Jack could hear, still far off but getting nearer, the sounds of five or so pairs of feet.  
  
"What do you want to do, just stand and fight or," he grinned wickedly, "Make things interesting?"  
  
Jess smirked, and handed him one of her sabers. "Interesting, I think. Kill me from behind, please?" She turned her back to him and spread her arms. Obligingly, Jack ran her through, leaving the saber embedded in her body. She toppled forward to land facedown in a shaft of moonlight, her "dead" fingers still clasping the hilt of her other sword. She looked for all the world like one of the men who had 'fallen behind' and been left where they fell. "Get going, then!" came her slightly muffled voice from where she lay.  
  
Jack retreated around a blind corner and settled in to wait, his own sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. It did not take long. Torchlight flickered on the walls as a party of Connolley's men quite literally stumbled across Jess's body. Jack could hear curses and something shatter- a dropped lantern, perhaps.  
  
"What in blazes-" said a gruff voice.  
  
"Keep moving!" said a second voice, slightly higher than the first. "Or you'll be left behind like that one!" Their footsteps resumed. Jack gave them a five count, then lunged around the corner and fired without bothering to aim.  
  
His shot hit the man in the lead right between the eyes. The remaining four stared in shock at their fallen comrade, then at Jack. "Hello, lads," he said brightly, his dark eyes glittering, and charged, swinging his sword. Jess chose that moment to leap to her feet, yank the blade out of her back, and attack from the rear.  
  
To be fair, it must be noted that the remaining four put up a courageous fight, but the conclusion of the battle was inevitable. When it was over, Jess stood bathed in moonlight, brushing bits of glass fastidiously out of her hair- or rather, what was left of it. "The idiot tripped over me and dropped a lantern on my head!"  
  
Jack laughed. "Never mind, love; I'm sure he won't do it again!"  
  
"Yeah, right," Jess muttered, ignoring his attempt at levity. "I'd be willing to bet most of them are well into the caves by now, those that are still alive. Connolley seems to be sending out groups of five or six, judging by what we've seen and heard. If we take this passage down to where the boats are and take a different passage back towards the treasure rooms, we may be able to come up behind some of them."  
  
Jack nodded curtly and sprinted off down the corridor. Jess followed close at his heels. As they ran, they passed through shafts of moonlights, transforming instantly back and forth from skeletons to their normal selves.  
  
Jack led the way past where Connolley's men had left their boats and up a long corridor. While her sense of direction was somewhat less than reliable underground, Jess was fairly certain they were headed back towards the treasure rooms. Ahead, she could hear the sounds of fighting. Rounding a corner, they ran full tilt into a pitched battle.  
  
Ana Maria, alone and unaided, was holding off three of Connolley's men, but Jess could see she was beginning to tire and falter. Her back was against the rocky wall of the corridor as she fought desperately. One of the men she was fighting stepped back a pace, out of reach of her blade, raised a pistol, and shot her. She gasped, but kept fighting.  
  
Not waiting to see any more, Jess lunged at the man who had shot Ana Maria as Jack raced in to finish off the other two. Jess slashed at her opponent, but he turned and sprinted away up the corridor. She let him go and turned to help Jack finish off his second opponent. It was over in seconds, and they both turned as a low moan issued from behind them.  
  
Ana Maria was leaning heavily against the wall, panting. Her sword hung loosely in one hand; the other was pressed tight to her stomach. "Ana Maria? You all right, love?" Jack asked, taking a step forward. He transformed instantly as stepped into a narrow beam of moonlight.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack," she whispered. She tried to stand, but fell forward against him into the moonlight. Nothing happened. Her appearance did not change.  
  
"No," he breathed. "Oh, no... why?" he asked her.  
  
"I... want no part... of any curse," she gasped. "I wanted... to live... or die... by my own... skill. I didn't... take... a medallion."  
  
She went quite limp, and her hand fell away from her ribs, dark with blood. "I'm... sorry..." She was gone.  
  
Jack laid her gently on the floor. His face was unreadable, an emotionless mask.  
  
"Jack," said Jess quietly, "The man who... who killed her. I think it was Connolley."  
  
"Was it, now," said Jack softly, dangerously.  
  
He set off at a run in pursuit of Ana Maria's killer. Jess followed.  
  
They reached the room where the chest of medallions rested atop a heap of treasure. Liam Connolley of the Bane stood gazing into the chest, his back to Jess and Jack as they raced into the room. Without a moment's hesitation Jack raised his pistol and shot Connolley between the shoulder blades. The tall man stiffened, then began to laugh. He turned to look at Jack, still laughing, and spread his arms wide. "You are too late!" he shouted. "I have what I came for- immortality!" He descended and strode toward them. Jess raised the tips of her sabers warningly. Connolley ignored her, his gaze still on Jack, who stood with his arms folded, silent.  
  
Connolley towered over him. "What now will you do, Jack Sparrow?" He smiled triumphantly, but seemed genuinely interested in Jack's answer.  
  
Jack glared up at him, and answered, "It's Captain Jack Sparrow, actually. As for what I will do, well, you killed a member of my crew. Therefore, I think it's only fair that I take a shot at killing you." He unsheathed his blade and brought the tip to rest inches from Connolley's throat.  
  
Connolley laughed again, drew both of his own swords, and adopted a guard stance. "You are welcome to take a shot at killing me, as you so quaintly say. I daresay it will be amusing to watch, as I cannot die-" His left-hand blade shot out, Jack parried, but then Connolley twisted the sword out of Jack's hand and sent it flying with a complicated disarm. -"And now, you are in no condition to fight me anyway." He swung out with his right hand and bashed Jack on the side of the head with the hilt of his saber. Jack went down hard, and lay very still.  
  
Connolley's colorless, evil eyes met Jess's, and he said quite amiably, "Interesting, isn't it, how the curse stops you from being killed, but not from being knocked out. The heathen gods must be very simple- minded beings, no?"  
  
"You would know far more about simple-mindedness than I," Jess retorted, taking a long step to her left, to clear ground.  
  
"Very droll, girl, but I suggest you put less thought into clever insults, and more into how you plan to escape me." His voice got louder, and he seemed to grow taller and more menacing as he continued, "You have no one to save you now. Jack Sparrow is defeated, your allies are nowhere to be found. There is no one to help you; you stand alone."  
  
"Not alone!" called a strong, clear voice from somewhere off to Jess's right. Will Turner had come in through a side passage and now stood proud and tall in defiance of Connolley's pronouncement.  
  
"Never alone!" came a woman's voice, and Elizabeth appeared at his side, her rapier in her hand, her eyes filled with fire.  
  
"So," Jess said coldly, her eyes blazing, "You were saying...?"  
  
Connolley sneered and lunged for her, trying the same disarm he had used on Jack. Jess blocked him contemptuously, raking his arm with her blade, adding insult to injury. He snarled and struck downward with both blades. Jess blocked, and he pressed down on the crossed swords, trying to use his height and weight to bear her to the floor. Jess strained, but he was incredibly strong. "Too bad for you, girl," he growled, applying even more force. Jess gave him a polite smile and kicked him- hard. He staggered back with a grunt of surprise and pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Will wince slightly in sympathy as he and Elizabeth hurried to Jess's aid.  
  
Elizabeth circled, looking for an opening as Jess and Will pressed Connolley back, one step, then another. Jess risked a glance at Jack, but he was still apparently out cold. Elizabeth saw her chance and darted in as one of Connolley's swings left his side momentarily unprotected. She left a shallow puncture wound on his ribs, but he recovered and dealt her a massive slash across the torso. It didn't kill her, naturally, but it was enough to send her flying backwards off her feet.  
  
Jess didn't see where she landed. She and Will spread out until they were on either side of Connolley, trying to flank him, but he was incredibly fast, holding both of them at bay with relative ease. Jess could feel her arm muscles (when she had them) burn as she blocked strike after powerful strike. Will was also feeling the strain, she could tell. Youthful exuberance could only do so much for a person, it seemed. His face and clothing, when he wasn't in the moonlight, were drenched with sweat, and he was gasping for breath.  
  
Jess began to hope vaguely for a miracle of some kind. Things could continue this way quite literally forever, and it was looking more and more likely by the minute. Jess locked blades with Connolley again- and Will made his move. He sprang back a pace, dropped his blade, seized a heavy gold statue in both hands, and brought it down on Connolley's head with all his strength.  
  
Jess leapt smartly out of the way as Connolley collapsed in a heap. Then she knelt, pulled off her sash, and bound his hands tightly behind his back. Elizabeth picked herself up from where she had fallen and bound his legs together at the ankles with her belt, and gagged him for good measure.  
  
Jess cleaned her saber blades on his clothes and sheathed them. She then knelt down next to Jack. He was, of course, still breathing, so she filled a nearby vessel with water and splashed the entire contents into his face. He awoke with a start and a curse then spotted Jess. Raising himself into a sitting position, he regarded her a trifle unsteadily, then said, "I take it we won, then? Excellent. Of course, you couldn't have done it if I hadn't been in the right place at the right time."  
  
Will nearly cracked a rib laughing. "That's right- on the floor, unconscious and out of the way, for once!" 


	9. A Word of Caution

As it turned out, Connolley was the only survivor of the Bane's entire crew. Jess and Jack's crews had been very thorough. As they wandered back to the treasure room in twos and threes, they deposited their medallions in the stone chest, each shedding a bit of blood to pay their price. Jess confiscated Connolley's, collecting a drop of blood from the palm of his hand, and returned it along with her own and Jack's. At last, only Will's was left, the 882nd piece. He held the final piece in his scarred palm, then wrapped his hand around the blade of his sword and gave a sharp jerk. Blood welled up between his fingers as he opened his hand and dropped the medallion, chain and all, back into the chest. The clinks and clatters it made were eerily loud in the silence. Elizabeth immediately rushed forward and bandaged up Will's hand, muttering to herself under her breath. Jess waved her own hand about in a shaft of moonlight, noting with satisfaction that she was back to normal.  
  
It took exactly two hours, all told, to package up as much of the treasure as they could carry and load it into the jollyboats left behind by the crew of the Bane. Each of these would be towed behind a jollyboat from the Pearl. Jack carried Ana Maria's body, with the intention of giving her a proper pirate's burial at sea. Much to Jess's disgust, they also brought Connolley along. She had been all for just leaving him tied up on the floor of the cavern, but Jack had insisted, for reasons known only to him. Connolley glared at them all from his position at the rear of the boat. Remarkably, he was quiet, but then, Jess's threat to personally cut his tongue out if he made a single sound may have had something to do with that.  
  
However, there was still one more surprise waiting for them as they rowed out into the waters of the bay. A small ship with red sails was floating off the Pearl's port bow. The words 'Reef Shark' were emblazoned on its side in faded gold letters. Jess cursed feelingly at the sight of it, then asked plaintively, "Haven't we had enough trouble yet?"  
  
Jack, however, was smiling rather infuriatingly. "Don't worry, love, they're not here for us."  
  
"What?"  
  
Jack stood up, cupped his hands around his mouth, and bellowed something in halting French. Someone aboard the Reef Shark waved a white flag in reply. Jess stared. "I didn't know you spoke French!"  
  
Jack shook his head, making the beads in his hair rattle. "I don't. That was just a password I learned. I haven't the faintest idea what I just said, but the meaning of the white flag is plain enough."  
  
Jess and Jack rowed out to the Reef Shark as the crews of the Pearl and the Fang loaded their cargo and prisoner onto the Pearl. A voice, imperious and female, called out to them, "Ees that you, Jack Sparrow? Oo ees your lady friend, eh? Come aboard, you two!"  
  
A woman of medium height and build greeted Jack warmly when they boarded the ship. She had a long nose, pale green eyes, and a mane of frizzy curls that formed a halo around her face. Her voice was deep for a woman, and she spoke with a heavy French accent. "I see zat once more, Jack Sparrow 'as beaten me to the prize, no? I 'ave been 'unting zis Connolley for weeks now, but I see zat you 'ave him. The bounty on 'is 'ead ees... impressive, no?"  
  
Jack smiled apologetically. "Marie, charming as always, I see. I always admired bluntness in a woman. Yes, we have Connolley and the treasure, and we intend to keep both. I'm afraid you're out of luck this time, love."  
  
Marie shrugged. "Eef it was anyone else oo 'ad him, I would fight zem for heem. 'Owever, I will make an exception for you, Jack. I 'ave no desire to lose my ship, or my life. Your luck ees uncanny and I will not take chances. I will seemply 'ave to tell zee Commodore Norrington zat I was beaten to zee prize."  
  
Jack bowed courteously to her. "Thank you, Marie. Better luck next time, darling."  
  
Marie turned to Jess and said, "You must be zee captain of the ship zat sank in zee passage, no? I vill not ask 'ow Jack talked you into zis expedition, but I 'ope you get your fair share out of it. Perhaps you vill take zee Bane as your new ship?"  
  
Jess nodded.  
  
Marie continued, "I must warn you now, as I speak from my own experience." She leaned close to Jess and whispered in her ear, "Beware of heem, zat Jack Sparrow. 'Ee 'as 'is eye on you, eet is plain to see, and you are too good for heem." She winked.  
  
Jess smirked and whispered back, "I know, but I'm afraid it's too late now. I've grown rather fond of him, against all odds."  
  
Marie stepped back, and said with a world of comic despair in her voice, "Anuzzer victim, no, I cannot bear it anuzzer minute, I must leave zis place immediately. Go now, Jack Sparrow, and take zis lady with you!"  
  
Five minutes later Jess and Jack watched from the deck of the Pearl as the Reef Shark sailed into the distance and disappeared. Jack stared thoughtfully after it, saying nothing.  
  
Jess glared at him, and said accusingly, "You never told me Norrington put a price on Connolley's head!"  
  
Jack spread his hands, grinning disarmingly, "Must have slipped my mind. But I told you your part, didn't I?"  
  
"My part in what, Birdie? What have you conveniently forgotten to tell me?" she growled.  
  
"I think that's obvious," Jack replied loftily. "I need you to deliver Connolley personally to Norrington for me. You sail the Bane into Port Royal, deliver Connolley, collect the bounty from Norrington, and I'll give you half, in addition to the treasure."  
  
Jess sighed, and waved a hand. "Fine, fine. What about the Bane?"  
  
Jack looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Ah, well... She's yours, I suppose, but..."  
  
"But?"  
  
"Jess?"  
  
"What now, Birdie?"  
  
"I..."  
  
"Spit it out, Jack."  
  
He couldn't seem to look her in the eye. "I had really hoped you'd, well, stay here, aboard the Pearl. I mean, since I need a first mate to replace Ana Maria... And I hoped..." He trailed off rather lamely, still not looking at her.  
  
"And you hoped...?"  
  
He groaned. "You're not making this any easier, you know that?"  
  
Jess only smiled, and gestured for him to continue.  
  
"Jess," he said quietly, now turning to meet her eyes, "Will you marry me?"  
  
Jess was half-tempted to make him sweat just a bit, but the look in his eyes made her decide against it. She took his hands in both of hers, and said, "Yes. Yes, I will." 


	10. A Fair Price

The journey back to Port Royal was uneventful, except perhaps for Connolley's repeated attempts to escape from confinement below decks in the Bane's brig. After the third such attempt, Jess paid a visit, and Connolley never made trouble again. What exactly she said to him the crew never found out, but it was the subject of much speculation and no few stories nonetheless.  
  
Jess had arranged to turn the ship over to Tom, her first mate, after the completion of her business in Port Royal. He protested strongly, saying repeatedly that it simply wouldn't be the same without her. In the end, he made her swear that if ever she became unhappy, or if Jack didn't treat her well, he and the crew would be allowed to 'rescue' her, sink the Pearl, and she would remain their captain. She laughed at this and agreed, but said she thought it most unlikely that she would be unhappy.  
  
Will and Elizabeth were traveling home with Jess aboard the Bane. The Pearl escorted them to within a few hours sailing of Port Royal, exactly as planned. Well, perhaps not entirely. Jack insisted on sailing into Port Royal on the Bane, maintaining that if Jess's negotiations went badly, there would at least be someone aboard who stood half a chance of getting her out of Port Royal alive.  
  
"You could be captured, nay, shot on sight, and where would I be then?" Jess yelled.  
  
"Relax," Jack drawled. "I'm going to stay aboard ship, and the British have no reason to suspect I'd dare show my face anywhere within 1000 miles of Port Royal." He grinned. "Besides, if I am, as you say, captured and shot, you'll be master of the Pearl and the Bane, a Commodore- ess, if you will, and captain of the fastest ship in the Caribbean to boot."  
  
Jess sighed wearily. "I'm not going to win this one, am I?"  
  
"Sorry, love, but if you got yourself hanged now after all we've been through, I'd be most disappointed, savvy?" He put his arms around her.  
  
Jess twisted around to smile at him. "Savvy. So, what can you tell me about Norrington?"  
  
"Oh, he's alright," Jack replied, sounding unconcerned. "He's the honorable sort, you know? Very stiff and formal, though. I'd say throw him as far off balance as you can before you talk price for Connolley. You know as well as I the British always advertise more money than they are actually willing to pay."  
  
"Off balance how?"  
  
Jack's smile turned wicked. "Just use your imagination, love. Whatever you think is best."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"You want me to help you WHAT?" Elizabeth asked, looking stunned.  
  
"You heard me," Jess replied patiently. She had gone to visit Elizabeth in her cabin, where she was searching for something respectable to wear on her return to Port Royal in some two hours' time. Jess didn't think the quest was too promising, herself, as all Elizabeth had were breeches and a couple of none-too-clean shirts that had once been white. Will and Jack were up on deck, arguing about something or other, as usual.  
  
"But why?" Elizabeth wailed.  
  
"I already told you that," Jess replied, her patience beginning to stretch a little. "I need to throw the Commodore as far off balance as possible, and I think this is the best way to do that."  
  
"Hardly worth it if it gets you hanged!" Elizabeth retorted.  
  
"A little innocent resemblance to someone isn't grounds for a hanging," Jess insisted. "Not even under British law. Come on, Elizabeth. You can't deny it'll be fun to watch."  
  
Elizabeth sighed, conceding defeat. "All right, so I can't. I'll help, but on your head be it. Now, where to start?"  
  
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An hour and a half later, Jess strolled out onto the main deck. A murmur passed along the length of the ship as, one by one, the member's of her crew stopped what they were doing to stare incredulously at her. Then someone began to clap, then another, and yet another, until the whole crew was clapping and whistling. Jack and Will looked up from the map they had been studying, and both of them stared in unflattering disbelief.  
  
Jess gave Jack a smile, and spun slowly in a circle, letting him take in the changes she and Elizabeth had made to her appearance.  
  
Jess's hair, once glossy and wavy, was now a mass of dull tangles, nearly dreadlocks. Jess had soaked her hair in a bucket of salt water for almost an hour to achieve the effect. She and Elizabeth had then braided in an assortment of glass beads and small charms, and tied the whole mess back from her face with a faded red headband. Over that she wore a beat-up three-sided leather hat, stolen from Jack's cabin courtesy of Mr. Cotton's parrot. She had used a mixture of soot and candle wax to heavily line her eyes with black. Her smile revealed the small pieces of gold ('borrowed' from the treasure) which she had managed to fit over several of her teeth. She wore her own clothing, plus a faded black coat slightly too large for her. Instead of twin sabers strapped to her back, she now carried a single blade at her side, half concealed beneath the coat, plus a pistol thrust into a wide leather belt. In short, she had made herself into a female version of Jack Sparrow.  
  
"So Jack," she asked conversationally, halting before him and smiling, "Do you think this will put Norrington off balance?"  
  
Will looked from Jess to Jack and back again, shaking his head. "Do you know, I think it might?"  
  
Jack seemed to be over the initial shock, and was rapidly recovering his poise. He stepped forward to scrutinize her closely. "How'd you manage the eyes?"  
  
Jess smirked. "Its soot and candle wax."  
  
Jack sighed theatrically. "Poor old Norrington, I'm not sure his heart can take this."  
  
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As it happened, Norrington was there to meet them on the docks, along with twenty heavily armed marines. Jess gave him a broad grin as she stepped out of her boat, dragging the unfortunate Connolley behind her. His hands were bound behind him, and he was gagged, once again courtesy of Elizabeth. She and Will stood on either side of the prisoner, behind Jess.  
  
Norrington stared in disbelief as she regarded him with thinly veiled amusement, her arms crossed. Several moments passed in silence, then Norrington seemed to give himself a little shake. "That ship in the harbor, the Bane; does it belong to you?"  
  
Jess gave him a slight smile, "It does now. I've brought you Liam Connolley, as you may or may not have noticed." She allowed a flash of contempt to show on her face, then continued, "You will pay the bounty due to me."  
  
It seemed Jack's plan was working, because the Commodore sounded distinctly flustered as he replied, "Ah, yes, we, ah... That is to say, I would be happy to negotiate a fair price for him, Miss...?"  
  
Jess ignored the question. "Very well. Your men may take him into custody now, Commodore. We can't expect Mr. and Mrs. Turner to stand guard over them all day, now can we?"  
  
Looking thoroughly put out at being given orders by this unknown woman, the Commodore gestured to four of his men, who seized Connolley and led him away. Will and Elizabeth took their leave, waving cheerily to Jess. The Commodore watched them go, his eyes on Elizabeth, his expression misty-eyed. Then he shook his head slightly as if to clear it, and spoke to Jess, "Will you, ah, come to my office, please?"  
  
Jess bowed courteously and replied, "Lead on, Commodore."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Norrington's office was spacious and luxurious, as befitted his station. He sat behind a large desk, regarding Jess with a mixture of interest and suspicion. Jess sat in a chair across from him, the picture of good-natured insolence. She leaned back casually in her chair, her arms folded, her legs stretched out before her. Jess waited for him to speak.  
  
"Very well, um," he began, clearly having no idea what he was going to say, "So you, ah, captured Connolley all by yourself, did you? That's, ah, most unusual, particularly for a woman... Yes, um..."  
  
Jess gave him a grin that was all teeth (gold and otherwise) and interrupted smoothly, "I can see why you're a military man and not a diplomat, Commodore. But yes, I did." Jess gave him a modified version of the story, making it sound as though she had worked alone to capture Connolley. She implied that her ship had been destroyed by Connolley's crew during the battle at Isla de Muerta to explain her ownership of the Bane. She made no mention of Jack or the Pearl.  
  
The Commodore stared in silence for several minutes after she finished her narrative. Finally he asked, "So you lifted the curse a second time with Turner's blood. And you... you bombarded the caves until they collapsed?"  
  
Jess nodded. "No one will ever be able to reach Cortez's gold now. It is truly gone forever, buried under tons of rubble."  
  
Norrington considered for a moment, then asked, "And Turner and his wife? They, ah, helped you on this venture?"  
  
"They were a great help in Connolley's capture," she said, then unable to resist, she added blandly, "Mr. Turner in particular was a great help to me. I daresay he should be commended for his heroic actions in bringing this fugitive from British law to justice... savvy?"  
  
"Er, yes, of course," Norrington stammered. "In the course of your travels, have you ever encountered a man named Jack Sparrow?"  
  
Jess narrowed her eyes as if trying to recall some obscure bit of information. "I may have heard of him. Why do you ask?"  
  
"You, ah, resemble him rather strongly," Norrington replied, clearly trying to be tactful, without a great deal of success. "The similarities between you are rather startling, actually, so I thought perhaps you might know of him."  
  
"I see." Jess leaned forward in her seat. "Now, to business. You will pay the full bounty for Connolley, alive and unharmed?"  
  
"Ah, well, actually, the government is no longer prepared to pay the full price," the Commodore replied, gaining confidence once more.  
  
"I see. And you'd be willing to pay..."  
  
Norrington named a sum, less than half of the advertised price.  
  
Jess gave an unladylike snort. "That would scarcely buy the rope to hang him with. Try again, Commodore."  
  
Norrington tried again, naming a sum significantly higher than the last one. It was, in fact nearly full price. "However, the paperwork involved requires me to know your name, I'm afraid," he added.  
  
Jess inclined her head in acceptance. "Cash only, Commodore. Have it ready in half an hour, if you please. I'll tell you my name then."  
  
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Jess kept an eye on the marines as they loaded her payment, two chests of coins, aboard her boat at the docks. She gave the Commodore a polite bow, and said, "My thanks to you, Commodore Norrington."  
  
She turned and clambered into her boat, pushing off from the docks.  
  
She was about 1000 feet off, nearly to the Bane, when she heard the Commodore yell, "Your name, girl! What's your name?"  
  
Jess leapt to her feet and turned to face him. "By the powers, I nearly forgot!" she yelled back. "May you always remember this day, Commodore, as the day you met Mrs. Jack Sparrow!" She grinned as realization hit him, and added cheerily, "But you can call me Jess!" 


End file.
